Most leadership training for managers is built around doing more—more KPIs, more meetings, more metrics. But what if the real path to greatness wasn’t doing more, but unlocking a completely different way of being?
That’s what I explored in a conversation with Angus Ridgway—former head of leadership at McKinsey and CEO of Potentialife (a company helping global leaders build great culture at scale.). Angus and his co-founder, Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, developed the SHARP framework, a roadmap for flourishing at work rooted in science and practice.
It breaks flourishing at work into five simple, actionable levers:
🔹 S – Strengths
Lead from your unique capabilities—not by fixing weaknesses, but by fueling your spark.
🔹 H – Health
Fuel your energy through intentional recovery—across micro, meso, and macro rhythms.
🔹 A – Absorption
Focus fully. Work deeply. Reclaim your attention in a world of distraction.
🔹 R – Relationships
Build trust through positive authenticity—bringing truth with care.
🔹 P – Purpose
Don’t just do meaningful work. Learn to find meaning in what you do—moment by moment.
Together, we unpacked what it means to be a 10x leader—not 10% better, but 10 times more impactful.
Here are some of the big take-aways.
1. Strengths: Build From Your Spark
“When we play to our strengths, we feel closer to what we’re supposed to be doing.” —Angus Ridgway
The first SHARP pillar—Strengths—struck a deep chord. Angus shared how most of us have been conditioned to obsess over fixing our weaknesses. From school to corporate life, feedback is a never-ending hunt for what’s broken.
But real flourishing—and real productivity at work—comes from putting your strengths front and center.
I saw this shift firsthand during my McKinsey career, when performance reviews moved from “development areas” to “what’s your spike?” (what are your areas of strength). That simple shift made all the difference. For me, it was entrepreneurship and client relationships. Once I knew that, everything aligned. I was on fire!
Actionable Practice: Try the Reflected Best Self exercise. Ask 5 colleagues to describe a time they saw you at your best. Find the themes. Then organize your week around tasks that let those strengths shine.
2. Health: Your Energy is Your Leadership Asset
“It’s not about reducing stress—it’s about intentional recovery.” —Angus Ridgway
We all know stress is a problem. But what Angus reminded me is that stress isn’t the enemy—unrecovered stress is.
He broke it down into three levels:
- Micro: 5-minute breathers throughout the day
- Meso: weekly rhythms of movement, sleep, and nutrition
- Macro: real resets that shift perspective
I often say: work wellbeing isn’t a perk—it’s a performance strategy. When we ran the Happiness Squad’s REWIRE Program recently with an executive team, a program integrating 9 practices to rewire your brain for happiness through the science of habit formation, just three 5-minute micro-breaks a day led to a 30–40% energy boost by day’s end for the executives.
Actionable Practice: Schedule three “micro-recovery” moments in your calendar today. 5 minutes to walk. To breathe. To do nothing.
3. Absorption: Monotask Your Way to Flow
“Multitasking isn’t productivity. It’s zero-tasking.” —Angus Ridgway
Distraction is the thief of effectiveness. In a world of shiny objects, the leaders who thrive are those who can zoom in—and stay in.
When I leading a banking study at McKinsey, we boosted a team’s productivity by 30%—not with AI or systems redesign, but by carving out 12 hours a week for focused work. No emails. No pings. Just deep, uninterrupted thinking.
Actionable Practice: Create a 90-minute “focus block” this week. Turn off notifications. Choose one important task. Go deep.
4. Relationships: Be Positively Authentic
This one hit hard. Angus talked about the power of “positive authenticity”—bringing truth with care. Many leaders swing one way: direct but cold, or kind but withholding.
I’ve seen the magic of both. One simple way to start: ask yourself before tough feedback, “How would I want this message delivered to me?”
Actionable Practice: Practice delivering feedback using the 5:1 method—five affirmations to every one piece of constructive critique. It creates psychological safety without diluting the truth.
5. Purpose: From Job to Calling
“Don’t look for meaningful work. Look for the meaning in your work.” —Ashish Kothari
Purpose isn’t about changing your job. It’s about changing your lens.
One of the most powerful moments in our conversation came when Angus described the difference between surgeons who viewed their work as a calling—and those who were just working to pay off something big that they had bought. It reminded me of Dr. Jane Dutton’s research (Professor, University of Michigan): two hospital cleaners, working on the same job and same setting—one of these people saw their role as “helping save lives” in the hospital.
You can’t always choose your tasks. But you can always choose how you frame them.
Actionable Practice: Before your next meeting, ask: “How does this contribute to something bigger than me?” Write it down. Watch how your energy shifts.
The 10x Possibility: Leadership as Disposition
Flourishing at work isn’t soft—it’s strategic. It’s not just about boosting engagement. It’s about unlocking exponential productivity, creativity, and joy.
“SHARP isn’t just a set of behaviors. It’s a way of being. A leadership disposition.” —Angus Ridgway
Imagine a team where everyone leads with their strengths. Where energy is renewable. Where focus is sacred. Where truth comes with care. Where meaning is chosen, daily.
That’s not a 10% improvement. That’s a 10x revolution.
And the best part? You don’t need permission to start. Just begin. One practice at a time.
- The SHARP Way to 10x Leadership: How to Thrive in a Distracted, Burned-Out World
- Why Great Leadership Starts with Energy, Not Effort
- From Busy to Brilliant: The 5 Habits of Leaders Who Flourish
- Leadership Training for Managers Needs a Reboot. Here’s the Model That Works
Learn more about Angus on Linkedin.
Listen to the podcast with Ashish and Angus below.
Access and subscribe to all of the episodes of the Happiness Squad Podcast here.
Visit the REWIRE Program powered up by the HAPPINESS SQUAD Community and experience your shift within your 30-day risk-free trial today. Cultivate your Self-Awareness, Gratitude, Purpose, Community, and personal growth more through the 9 Hardwired for Happiness practices. Integrate simple and proven micro-practices grounded in the science of happiness and neuroscience of habit formation in 5 minutes a day.
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